The Witch, The King, and The Sidekick
by Sixteens
Summary: Sakura was a know-it-all witch with a cheeky personality, Sasuke was a stiff, proud king who, against his better judgement, trusted his best friend, who told him that said know-it-all cheeky witch could help him find his brother, who had disappeared two years ago. Together, they went on adventure that changed their lives, and saved a couple of others on the way. Saku/Sasu/Ita


_"Fall on your knees  
oh, hear the angel voices."_

- _O Holy Night._

* * *

{Prologue}

"This is the place?" The dark-haired man asked, eyeing the unshapely cave with distaste and not a little distrust. The entrance, or what he guessed was the entrance, had a large slab of stone covering it, and as much faith he had in his strength, he doubted he and Naruto would be able to move it.

Speaking of Naruto, his best friend shot him his usual cheerful grin and walked up to the stone entrance, slapping it lightly. "Yup, that's the place. She's inside. We've got to knock, though. She hates bad manners." Naruto's blue eyes twinkled with amusement at a hidden joke and Sasuke's eyebrows rose slightly as he approached him and stood at his side, looking up at the dark sky. There were very few stars lightening the dark, almost black sky, and he could barely see the crescent moon from behind the mountains sharp edgy tops. "Okay. So." Naruto raised his fisted hand and started to knock in an elaborate manner, causing Sasuke's eyebrows to raise even higher up his forehead. Naruto paid him not mind and continued his little knock fest, that actually reminded him a bit of the jingle bells tune.

Finally, Naruto stopped and stepped back. "That should do it."

"What if she's not there?" Sasuke asked, still not convinced that someone could leave in a cave, especially a woman.

"Oh, she's here." Naruto said dismissively, eyes fixed on the supposed entrance expectantly.

Sasuke opened his mouth to ask 'but what if she isn't?' when a loud noise stopped him. He turned his head to the entrance and watched as the stone slab slowly moved, to reveal a short, petite figure standing at the threshold. The faint light that came from the inside helped illuminate her figure, and Sasuke noticed a hint of pink before she spun around and marched back inside her cave. He looked at Naruto, who didn't seem the least bit surprised by her rather rude greeting. For someone who supposedly hated bad manners, she sure wasn't the picture of etiquette. Naruto stepped inside and Sasuke reluctantly followed, looking around him in the paranoid fashion he had come to be famous for. Naruto was walking confidently ahead, so Sasuke decided that this was one of the those rare time that he had no other choice but to trust his judgement and follow.

They walked into a spacious round room that was lightened by a few torches and bundles of fire floating up in the air. There was a desk, overflowing with books and papers pushed at the far back, but otherwise the room looked like a regular living room, with comfortable furniture that belonged more in one of the village's high-end houses than in cave. He could see her clearer now. Her hair was so long, it went past her waist in waves of pure pink. Her eyes were wide, almost-shaped and piercingly green. She was dressed in a tight white silk dress with floaty sleeves and semi-long train. It looked exactly like the dresses he had seen witches where in the books his father had given him. She looked about this age, with smooth white skin and delicate, pretty features. Sasuke was surprised she looked so... normal. She could fit amongst the girl in his court without a problem. Although her hair was a bit unusual, it wasn't something that stood out that much.

"To what do I own the pleasure of your visit, Naruto?" Even though her eyes were focused entirely on Naruto, Sasuke still had the feeling that she was watching him as well.

"Can't I just visit an old friend?" Naruto asked as he flopped on one of the couches gracelessly.

The witch smirked and sat down on the armchair opposite of the couch Naruto was sitting on. She crossed her legs and tapped her fingers against the armrest. "Well, well, have you missed me, Naruto-_kun_?"

Naruto stuck his tongue out at her cheekily, but Sasuke noticed his tan cheeks had gone a faint shade of pink. He looked between them, a bit confused. Was the witch flirting with Naruto? Of all people?

Suddenly the witch's head turned towards him, her unnerving eyes fixing on him. "Oh, sorry, I forgot. His highness requires a special invitation to sit. Please.." She gestured towards all the sitting furniture. "Help yourself, your highness."

Sasuke felt his left eye twitch at the mischievous fire in her eyes. He gritted his teeth and went to sit next to Naruto, who shot him a gleeful look.

"What can I do for you?" The witch asked after a moment of silence and stares. She cocked her head to the side, looking almost like a curious child, and blinked owlishly at them. Her eyes were really big. "Because, let's not pretend you're here to just visit me, Naruto, especially with someone like him." She jerked her chin in Sasuke's direction but didn't look at him. "So, out with it."

"Well." Naruto glanced at Sasuke, who glared stonily at the piles of books on the witch's desk. "You know how Sasuke's brother, like, disappeared a couple of years ago."

"Who doesn't?" The witch asked, her voice sardonic. "Then again, I do live in a cave."

Naruto chuckled before continuing. "So, anyway, Sasuke has a reason to believe that his brother is at the clutches of a mountain dragon, and not just any, but the Mountain Dragon. At the lonely mountain."

The witch was silent, her eyes flickering between them as if expecting them to yell 'just kidding' any moment. After she realised that they were not, in fact, kidding, a snort escaped her. She didn't even bother to hide her laughter.

"Well, that's new." She gasped after she had finally composed herself. She straightened and looked at them seriously. "So what do you want from me?"

"Well, you told me once that you've defeated a dragon before." Naruto said, staring at her with wide, pleading eyes. Sasuke hid a smirk. He was trying to lay his charm on her. "We could really use your help. Sasuke really needs his brother."

The witch turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised. "Why? Weren't you always hungry for the throne? With your brother gone, you were named the king." She leaned forward and he felt like her eyes were boring into his very mind and thoughts. It was unnerving and almost maddening feeling. "Why would you want him back?"

"He's my brother." Sasuke said through gritted teeth, frowning as he tried to get rid of the unsettling feeling in his head. He only managed to give himself a headache, to go along with his paranoia.

"Ah, family." The witch smirked as she leaned back against her armchair, but there was something dark in her eyes, almost cynic. He felt like she was mocking him. "Of course. I should have known. You humans and your relationships.." She shook her head, a small, definitely mocking smile playing across her lips. "Okay, let's say I agree: what's in it for me?"

Naruto glanced nervously at Sasuke, whose hands had curled into angry fists. "Well, Sasuke's very rich.."

"You don't say." The witch interrupted sarcastically. "But okay, he has money. How much are you willing to spend?"

"A lot." Sasuke said curtly.

The witch smirked. "How much is 'a lot'? Because I assure you we have different views on what is a lot."

"How much do you want?" Sasuke asked, watching her through narrowed eyes.

"Oh, I don't know.." The witch replied with a sigh. She tapped her chin, pretending to be deep in though. "I mean, taking down a dragon is difficult enough but you want me to take down _the _dragon. That's almost nearly impossible."

"How much?" Sasuke snapped. Her flippant attitude didn't appeal to him much. He liked when people gave him respect, he was the current king, after all, but it was clear to him that the witch didn't give a crap about who he was or what his title was.

The witch clicked her tongue. "My, my, you're impatient." She said, her voice laced with amusement. "We can decide my praise after I've done the job, okay? I want to see how difficult my job will be before I put any prices on it."

"Fair enough." Naruto said quickly when he saw Sasuke open his mouth to protest. "Thanks so much for doing this, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura? So that was her name. Sasuke never bothered to ask and Naruto always referred to her as the witch. Well, it suited her, especially considering the colour of her hair.

Sakura flashed Naruto a small smile. "I've been craving a bit of an adventure lately anyway. It gets a bit stuffy in here." She stood up, her long dress falling to the ground with a faint rustle. "So, are you going to stay for dinner? I've made ramen."

"We're totally staying." Naruto said before Sasuke could blink. Sasuke sighed and put a hand on his forehead.

It was going to be a long night.


End file.
